Are Today's BC's Better? - Scuba Tech Tips: S16E18
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ธ.ค. 2023
- Many 'stone age divers' think the good old BC's of the past were better, but were they? Alec compares a top-end 1975 Nemrod BC to todays sophisticated models for you to decide.
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In the early 80s i had a yellow us divers horse collar and i loved it in the mid 80s i installed a power inflator on it and it worked great and in the late 80s i start to see the new bcds i saw them too bulky but finally in the 90s i start to use them and i never look back.
Todays BC's have lots to offer in function, features and safety. I still miss the old mae west's in my mind.
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Another good one! “Sophisticated” good word. I’m in between old and new. Certified in 2000. Old concepts coupled with new designs, makes for good diving!
Keep em comin!
Will do my friend.
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I have friends who still use horse collars. I began diving with a plastic US Divers backplate and butterfly wing. I later "upgraded" to modern BCDs and a "tech" BCD before going with a plain steel backplate and wing two decades ago.
I laughed at 'upgraded'!! I remember when the first SPG, Sea-Vue, came out for $10 US. Who can afford that luxury item!!
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When I started diving, we had no BCD at all. Just a small plastic backplate with webbing, a Primary DV, a 10L Cylinder (tank), Pillar valve pull handle for reserve air, depth meter (filled a tube with water to indicate depth) and weights. We very quickly understood proper weighting and buoyancy lung control.
Sounds like my early dives except I sometimes used a stone to help me get down to a super deep 30'. Search my videos for 'stone age' as there are several to make you laugh and remember those early fun days.
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👍😎🤿🇵🇭! Great lesson on vintage scuba gear!
Glad you liked it!
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Bought a Zeagle Ranger back in 07' has always been a top notch bcd. Anyway when one of the weight pockets ripped and they repaired it for free and even made a couple small changes i asked for, great company great experience great bcd.
Good brand Zeagle and i like their rip-stop weight drop.
Thanks for watching.
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I remember very well the old “Horse Collar” BCDs. I had two of them: a GSD (a brand that was absorbed by Technisub) and a Mares, and I hated them. As the new “buoyancy compensator vest” (jacket) models came out, I immediately went for a Cressy Sub one. Still not as good as a modern BCD, which I really like, but still, a great improvement compared to the “horse collars”, although clearly I could not use it when diving with my Royal Mistral single stage, double hose regulator, as it did not have a separated mini-tank. Also, since I used to dive with double steel tank (10+10 Lt. X 200 bars) or a 18 Lt. single steel tank (220 bars), the new BCD jacket was a great relief for my back and my trim. Having said that, as a matter of fact, having a horse collar BCD detached from the tank(s) had some advantages in case of emergency.
You have had quite the experience moving along the BC evolution train. Lots of experiences means you know what works and doesn't for your diving. Thanks for sharing.
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The bottles are usually corroded everytime I open them, because they are emptied out and take in moisture or water.. At the same time, you can't see the air left in the bottle having the possibility to orally fill is good if you manage to go all out of air and you have a long surface swim to land.
Wouldn't want to use the inflator tank for emergency air. We generally were shallow then, a 40' dive was deep!
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My wife bought a newer style BCD with the inflator like that, used at a yard sale or thrift store that must have been in a hot garage for years. The rubber just fell apart when I tried to suit up. Luckily I already had another.
If not properly stored, these broke up easily. The model i'm holding is still very good, flexible and air tight.
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crutch straps are used when scootering
Absolutely but still hurts.
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I had a nemrod vest except mine it was inflated by twisting the bottle. The one you have looks like it never saw water. My brother gave it to me because he bought the first vest BCD. I believe Scuba Pro was the first to market. I never used the Nemrod. I preferred my Sea Quest horse collar. Have to say new equipment is light years ahead of the old gear.
There were several good brands of old BC's that lasted for a decade or more with little change. I did a Vintage Scuba on the Sea Quest.
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Hi Alec. I assumed that the CO2 fill cartridge was just used in life jackets, perhaps that was the predecessor of the bcd? great to hear about the then and now stuff. Have a great Christmas Owen m
Merry Christmas and more coming in the new year Owen.
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My first BC was a horse collar. Vests got big and I never changed. I’ve used vest on trips. Just found a new horse collar. Both had power buttons. 2 years ago I took it on a dive and got stopped at the dock. Made me rent a vest. Sad. They are in the commercial world. I’m old lol
Must have scared some newly certified Dive Master with that antique. My vintage diving friends use models like this every weekend. Some practice and you get good at using it. Thanks for watching.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I’ll tell you. Back in those days. I was /am a certified deep diver. I did 200’+ deep dives on wrecks. On air. My old horse collar never let me down. One more thing. Try floating on the surface with a horse collar and a vest. No contest if you done both.
Thank you Alec, Merry Christmas! Tough year but back at it.
Happy holidays! Hope there is diving in 2024 for you.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I’ll be in the water!
Over the years I've had 3 horse collar BC's. I think the kind of diving one does matters most in regard to choosing the right BC (horse collar vs modern). Currently I do mostly solo dives (no lecture please on why that's a stupid thing to do). A more modern BCD is much safer under the circumstances I now find myself. But when diving with a buddy I'd choose a horse collar any day, not even a question, over modern BCD's. Unless in a technical dive situation where extraneous equipment is a necessity, give me a horse collar. I've read where people don't like them because it might flip you face up underwater. As far as I'm concerned, if a horse collar flips you, then you've not trained well enough to be a truly safe diver. But my biggest gripe, regardless if we're talking about BCD's or anything that requires a clip, "quick release" plastic clips are horrible. Unfortunately new divers don't know anything other than "quick release" plastic clips. One of my safety protocols is to remover any plastic clip, no matter the equipment, and replace it with a safer alternative - usually a hook and loop (velcro) alternative.
Solo diving is a specialty and no longer laughed at when done responsibly. I'm not saying old is better, but it was excellent at the time when that's all we had. Today 99% of diving is open scuba, In 20 years it may be 60% if CCR's gain greater acceptance and drop costs. Many thinks change, stay with what works for your style and enjoy the diving world.
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last year, I restored an old US divers collar style BCD, in fact the first one I owned, just to say that all the fittings that connects to the bladder were rotten and came loose,
happily the bladder material was in very good condition ( it was urethane ) Happily. I've found mechanical BCD fittings that I used to close all apertures and reinstall original functions.with the original inflator, a pressure relief valve and a second pressure relief valve used as dump valve.
I'd say that I tested the BCD at about the double of the pressure needed to open the relief valves so I'm sure of the integrity of repair I done.
Because the floating device is in the front of the diver, if used intensively, it had the tendency to make the diver unstable so the new style BCD is a clear improvement on this aspect to not mention that the new style with the integrated tank support is much easier to put on.
the fact of owning a functional collar BCD is priceless
very good topic
very good video
Thanks and Merry Christmas Jacques.
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Alec, thank you for this informative video. I'm a new diver and dive a few times a year. I've watched many of your videos on regulators, and equipment. My question is: do I need to invest in any of this equipment of are the rentals adequate at most dive shops? And, what extra safety checks should one take when renting equipment?
New divers feel pressure to get the same equipment older/mature divers have in abundance. Remember scuba is for fun, not competition. Rental gear can do fine (search for my video on rentals and buying used gear) until you are sure you want to continue. Scuba gear is continually evolving so buying what you need and are comfortable using is a good start. Begin with the basics, mask, snorkel, fins, then a dive computer (air integrated or not), wetsuit(s). After around 25-50 dives most new folks have figured out it they want to continue or not. If you love it like I do, then its a tank, lead weight, a big SUV, private jet and you're done!
Hope this helps and watch my videos on used gear, what to buy first and dive computers. Don't feel pressured to buy the new/shinny/expensive if you're on a budget or have kids to feed. Used gear can be good if you check it before buying. Join a local dive shop club where other member can give advice or get their old equipment. Put the fun and love the underwater first and you will stick with it for a lifetime. Take care.
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Why does that Hollis wing have so many d-rings on it? I get the two d-rings on the chest for lamps and clipping off the long hose as well as one on the side for the SPG. Three on the front per side seems a bit excessive?
I'm sure if I make a smart remark that tech divers will jump on me as to why 3 are needed so l'm staying silent this time.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter In this case the tech divers and DIR crowd in particular will be the ones telling you why just need one per side. So I think they will only jump at you if you try to explain why you need three :)
In germany it was called toilet lid
Ha Ok I get it. Thanks.
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I wore a horse collar when I was certufied in the late 70's, but there were some older divers at that time that scoffed at them. Not because of the style but rather an unnecessary piece of gear in their opinion and experience. Most, if not all, of the seasoned divers I encountered back then did not wear a bcd of any kind. All of them were trained without one. Fast forward.....I have never used anything but a horse collar and don't see the need for anything else.
Nothing has really changed over the decades. If you were taught skill A, then everyone was. Skill B is introduced and all the old A's say that's silly until there are more B's than A's, then repeat. Hope this makes sense, coffee has not kicked in yet.
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a CO2 cartridge that fills up your BC instantly? sign me up for a race to the top!
It had 2 safeties to prevent that special one way ride up. Still cool but so dangerous.
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Come on now … that’s a fancy old one … my first one was a plan ole may west that you had to orally inflate … I do find it hard to believe that a new BCD will last forever … maybe 10 years… after that parts won’t be available and the local dive shop will Refuse to tune one up due to Liability… BUT they will gladly sell you a new one $$$
Luxury!! The Nemrod shown is almost mint but there are older BC's without power inflating tanks. When I started diving, there were no BC's. When I first saw one it was like, wow, it can never get better than this...
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Its parentage from an aircrew life vest is pretty clear. But for diving having the bladder in front of you was probably not optimal 😳
It was the only place to put it as the tank was on the back with straps. Tricky to balance buoyancy but you learned to be gentle and slow when filling. I'm still here so not quite that risky.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter A different set of skills altogether I imagine. Have a great Christmas Alec.